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Taking in the sun on a walk along Lake Wakatipu in beautiful Queenstown—on a surprisingly chilly day.

Photo: Courtesy of Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis

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My journey to the other side necessitated constant rehydration.

Photo: Courtesy of Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis

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Our dinner table with a verdant view.

Photo: Nina Flohr

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Elisabeth TNT goes to the world’s end only to discover that New Zealand is even more spectacular than she had imagined.

Have you ever wondered what the other side of the world looks like? I have—ever since I was a little girl in my nursery spinning a big illuminated globe. The farther the better, I thought: Easter Island, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand.

What a pristine place New Zealand is! All tumbling green hills, and forests thicker than any I have seen. On a recent visit, I found my childhood fantasies matched again and again. My friend Eva-Maria Shuman and I took a bumpy ride in a single-engine plane over Milford Sound—a fjord framed by waterfalls that made us gasp in amazement. We saw snow-capped mountains like sugar-coated chunks of Toblerone, glaciers, and brilliant-green islands dotting the water. It was no wonder even a seasoned traveler like Rudyard Kipling is said to have called this place the eighth wonder of the world.

For a comparatively small country at the end of the Earth, New Zealand was filled to the brim with treats. After touching down in Auckland, a quaint city full of cool little restaurants, cold-press juiceries, and boutiques, we aimed to explore the famous beaches along the North Island. Despite intel from local friends, it was hard to choose where to begin: Rangiputa, Coopers Beach, Ninety Mile Beach, Bay of Islands? In the end we just hit the road and encountered one stretch of sand more beautiful than the last.

One afternoon, the sky pouring down with rain, we drove to the Kawiti glow worm caves and took a tour by flashlight. We scrambled through stalagmites and past stalactites, and when the guide switched off his light, we saw thousands of sparkling glow worms above our heads. Easy to imagine a Maori princess snuggling up here for her nap.

Next stop was Queenstown on the South Island. A gem of a town with an alpine vibe nestled on Lake Wakatipu. A friend of mine, Nina Flohr, who happened to be in the area with her Kiwi boyfriend, Ben Fisher, invited us camping at a cabin in the middle of nowhere. To get there we drove along a steep dirt track where I kept wondering how Ben was able to keep the car from spilling off the mountain. Suddenly, tucked between green hills were beautiful Lake Luna and a simple log cabin—nothing else. Ben expertly barbecued a feast and we sat by the fire, watching the sun slowly disappear behind the mountain. Just to remind us that nature has a temper, a sharp gust of wind whipped up, then another.

Eventually our entire barbecue was blown away—and torrential rains began, a storm raging so violently that the cabin rattled and I imagined the whole roof would fly away and then the whole little house. Where will you take us, Mr. Wind, I wondered . . . ? That adventure is for another time.